George Mason University plans to mark the 20th anniversary of its Science and Technology Campus in Manassas on Wednesday, Sept. 20, with a celebration including university and community leaders.

George Mason President Ángel Cabrera and prominent leaders in business and research from SciTech’s past and present will participate in a tribute to 20 years of progress that helped Mason become ranked among the top research universities in the United States as determined by the Carnegie Classification System.

“Basically, it’s a thank you to all the people—past and present—who have made the campus successful,” said Ron Carmichael, the director of administration and operations at SciTech.

One of the day’s featured speakers will be Temple Douglas, who was a high school student in the Aspiring Scientist Summer Internship Program on the SciTech Campus when she first devised an early detection test for Lyme disease.

Douglas is now at Virginia Tech working on a PhD after getting her bachelor’s degree in physics from Princeton. She credited her time on Mason’s SciTech campus for changing her life.

“Everyone there was very supportive and helpful,” Douglas said. “I received a lot of mentoring and attention that both helped me decide on research as my career and taught me what it entailed.”

Another speaker will include Mary Ellen O’Toole, the renowned former senior FBI profiler and director of the Mason Forensic Science Program.

The SciTech Campus continues to grow, with plans underway to expand STEM instruction and research. Another 2,500 students and close to 100 new faculty are expected on the SciTech Campus within the next decade, with many of them coming for STEM-intensive programs.

Other plans for the SciTech Campus neighborhood include a research center, a brewery and a 350-unit apartment complex that will house graduate students, faculty and staff.

“There are a lot of things happening,” Carmichael said. “I’m excited at the future opportunities coming to this campus community.”

Additional future plans involving the SciTech Campus will be announced at the ceremony, which takes place at Verizon Auditorium in Colgan Hall from 2-3:30 p.m. The campus community is invited to attend and can RSVP here.